The bad news for the Philadelphia Union is that a potential deal with French striker Andy Delort recently fell through.
The good news is the Union have been pleased with how their current crop of forwards have been playing this preseason – and they’re still planning to bring in a new one before the season begins.
“We have clear targets, and we’re actively pursuing them,” Union head coach Jim Curtin said in a conference call with reporters Thursday. “But at the same time, the guys that are here having the success they’re having is good. I want competition at every spot. I want guys to always be looking over their shoulder and know there’s someone pushing behind them.”
Curtin didn’t elaborate on when the negotiations hit a snag with Delort, who was recently loaned from Wigan Athletic to his former team in France, Tours FC. Instead, he quickly turned his attention to how well Dzenan Catic has been playing as a target striker in camp, noting that the rookie draft pick just “finds a way to put the ball in the back of the net” no matter the situation.
He also praised offseason acquisition CJ Sapong and returning veteran Conor Casey, who’s getting in gear after sitting out the first couple of days in practice.
But because all three of those players have similar aspects to their game, the Union still feel like they need to sign another goal scorer.
“Conor is a target forward, CJ is a similar forward – a target-type guy – and Catic is a big body,” Curtin said. “We’ve discussed maybe getting a different type of striker, whether that’s more of a speed guy, a taller guy. You want to find the right mix. You don’t want three or four of the same types of forwards; you want that change of pace. That has affected the type of guy that we’re targeting, for sure.”
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It’s unclear when the Union will bring in a new attacking player, but Curtin indicated that the seemingly endless negotiations revolving around center back Carlos Valdes could be holding up the process. According to a recent report out of South America, Uruguay’s Nacional de Montevideo have secured Valdes on a one-year loan deal from the Union but Curtin reiterated that “negotiations are not quite finalized.”
“One thing needs to fall into place,” Curtin said. “And then I can tell you that a couple of other things will come right after.”
Dave Zeitlin covers the Union for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at djzeitlin@gmail.com.
